Halloween Words

Following are some spooky words associated with this time of year. Maybe you could put some of these words to use in the Halloween writing prompts I have suggested in previous articles.

A charnel is an underground burial chamber; a building or or vault where corpses and/or bones are stored. A charnel would also be a great place for a spooky story to take place. When used as an adjective, this word can be used to describe a place that is filled with death and destruction.

Diablerie is anything to do with demonology, the lore of devils, reckless mischief, or devilish doings. The domain of devils is a diablerie. During the 19th century, there was a fascination with death and diableries; a lot of the artwork produced during this time centered around them.

A necropolis is a large cemetary or burial ground. A Greek word, it means ‘city of the dead’. There is a haunted house in Columbia, Missouri that is named the Necropolis haunted house. It is supposed to be one of the best haunted houses in Missouri. Necropolis haunted house was once Bishop Manufacturing, which was vacated in 2003. Apparently it was the site of 8 gruesome murders; the ninth victim escaped to tell of her abduction and 6 days of torture at the hands of a sadistic madman. The story of the Bishop Factory Butcher has not been allowed to die and the site has become a huge Halloween attraction.

Perdition, according to Christian theology, is a state of eternal punishment into which a sinful and unpenitent person passes after death. It is the loss of one’s soul, a state of final spiritual ruin, and the future of the wicked.

Netherworld means world of the dead or the part of society engaged in crime and vice. Just as necropolis has a haunted house to its name, so does netherworld. Netherworld is located in Atlanta, Georgia and is supposed to be one of the top haunted houses in the United States. There is no sadistic madman that led to this haunted house, as there was with Necropolis haunted house.

A doppelganger is a tangible double of a living person that represents evil. A dopprelganger seen by a person’s friends or relatives means that illness or danger is on its ways; seeing one’s own doppelganger means death is soon approaching. Doppelgangers are present in many ghost stories and legends.

Gramarye, an old French word, means magic, occult learning, necromancy, and enchantment.

Thanatos means death. In Greek mythology, Thanatos was the god of death. He had a twin brother, Hypnos (sleep). Even though the other gods were immortal and could not be killed by Thanatos, he was hated and despised by them. Why? He is described as being pitiless.

Sheol is a Hebrew term. Sheol means a pit or grave and was thought to be the place where the dead gathered. The dead supposedly had a conscious existence there, though they could derive no hope or satisfaction from it. There are several references to this dark and gloomy place in the Bible.

These are just a few of the words I found that are associated with this spooky time of year. If you have any more, feel free to post them in the forum.